Library Trends

Index

Volume 44 Number 1 1995

Library Trends
Volume 44, Number 1; Summer 1995

Introduction.......................................................1-6
  by Patricia LaCaille John

Challenges of the Rural Environment in a Global Economy............7-20
  by Sara Mills Mazie and Linda M. Ghelfi
Abstract: Information has become a critical part of successful economic
development for individuals, businesses, and communities.  Lack of access
to information was at least partially responsible for rural America's
inability to keep up with urban increases in population, high-wage
occupations, income, and education levels during the 1980's.  Among rural
areas, growth in farming-dependent counties and persistent poverty
counties was hindered by their remoteness from major metro areas.  At the
other end of the spectrum, rural high-amenity and retirement-destination
counties had the advantage of attractive amenities, and rural counties
adjacent to large metro areas benefited from their ties to the major
centers of information.  Nearly all rural counties contain public
libraries, some of which are already telecommunications linked.  With
funding for infrastructure and human capital improvements, more rural
libraries could serve as links in improving rural access to the
information highway and the knowledge transported on that highway.

Rural Information Needs and the Role of the Public Library.........21-48
  by Bernard Vavrek
Abstract: The purpose of this article is to highlight some of the
conditions affecting rural and small libraries in the United States and
to describe their roles in providing information services.  For many
Americans, the community library continues to be viewed as a place for
books and used primarily by women.  This article also review the major
findings of two research investigations conducted by the author under the
sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Education.

The Funding of Rural Libraries.....................................49-62
  by Mark Merrifield
Abstract: Funding for rural libraries comes from a variety of sources.
For the purposes of this article, two funding sources will be discussed:
federal and state.  Local funding issues are as diverse as the
communities in which libraries are located.  In the case of rural
libraries, all funding sources are critical to their survival.  However,
the notion of federal and state roles and responsibilities to assist
rural libraries is the basis of this article.

Role of the Public Library Trustee.................................63-76
  by John Christenson
Abstract: This article examines the functions, roles, and
responsibilities of the public library trustee in a rural setting.  It
reviews the basic responsibilities of the library trustee to ensure that
the rural library serves the information needs of the community.  The
author emphasizes the important role the library trustee serves in
determining policy, encouraging partnerships with other libraries and
community organizations, and ensuring sufficient funding for the library
to meet community information needs.

Staffing Rural Public Libraries: The Need to Invest in Intellectual
Capital............................................................77-87
  by Daniel D. Barron
Abstract: A wide range of people are just beginning to equate information
service in their communities with the institution they once believed
served a primarily recreational and educational function  - the public
library.  At present, many rural libraries have inadequate numbers of
staff, and many others have staff which are seriously undereducated to
meet the expanded information needs of the people in their communities.

If rural libraries are to seize the opportunities suggested by the
developing positive view, develop services to support this view, and
market such a view to a wider range of citizens in their communities,
they must invest in the intellectual capital of their staffs.  The
benefits which technology promises for rural people to access information 
and education could also be the key for developing rural public library
staff to provide those resources and services.

Across Towns and Across Times:  Library Service to Young People in Rural
Libraries..........................................................88-111
  by Ristina Wigg
Abstract: This article examines library service to young people in rural
libraries in New York State with reference to services provided by rural
libraries and librarians in other parts of the nation.  The article
addresses the efforts of rural libraries to meet the information needs of
children and young adults.  It explores the alignment of library programs
with national concerns such as literacy and learning readiness.  It also
examines ways in which the characteristics of rural libraries affect
traditional programs for youth.  This article reviews methods of
effective and innovative delivery of services; approaches to collection
development and multicultural literature; use of computers, planning, and
standards; as well as work with preschoolers, students, schools, and
summer reading clubs.

Library Outreach Programs in Rural Areas...........................112-128
  by Judith I. Boyce and Bert R. Boyce
Abstract: Outreach is the only means by which library services can be
effectively distributed over rural areas where the population necessary
to provide the public financing of quality information service is so
dispersed that a single location facility will not be accessible to large
portions of the population contributing to the service.  Rural areas are
served by national information agencies, state information agencies, the
libraries of colleges and universities, and by local public libraries -
all using outreach methods.  Particular efforts have been made to support
distance learning activities and health information needs, and it is in
these areas that new technology has been most prevalent.

Video and electronic digital media are beginning to have some effect on
rural outreach activities, but most service is still provided by small
local libraries or branches, by bookmobiles, by depository collections,
and by books-by-mail programs.  The immediate effect of the new
technologies seems to be to support these programs rather than supplant
them.

Rural Public Libraries in Multitype Library Cooperatives...........129-151
  by Jan Ison
Abstract: Cooperation among libraries is a practice that supports
information service to patrons of all libraries.  This article will
examine the historical overview of cooperative efforts, the roles
identified for the cooperative library organizations and members of the
organizations, and the services associated with these organizations.  It
will also examine the contributions that rural libraries make toward
cooperation among all types of libraries and identify challenges for
rural libraries participating in networks in the future.

The Rural Information Center Assists Local Communities.............152-175
  by Patricia LaCaille John
Abstract: The information gap between rural and urban areas became a
growing concern to rural citizens during the farm crisis of the
mid-1980's.  Local officials and community leaders expressed to their
congressional representatives their fear that this gap would continue to
expand, and rural areas would not have ready access to the information
resources necessary to help stimulate their depressed economies unless
Congress addressed the problem.  Therefore, in April 1987, Congress
approached the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to propose that it
establish a rural assistance information clearinghouse.  The USDA readily
agreed, and the result was the creation of the Rural Information Center
(RIC) as a nationwide information provider to rural officials and
communities.  This article focuses on RIC's services, information
requests, and partnerships.

The Library and Wired Communities in Rural Areas...................176-189
  by Steve Cisler
Abstract: The future of libraries in rural areas of the United States is
tied to the future of the communities which they serve.  As the
telecommunications landscape continues to shift, these communities have
opportunities to decrease their isolation, increase their connectedness,
and affect the overall health of small towns and even whole regions
through the innovative use of new technologies and new regulatory
structures.  By understanding the options, the changes in technologies,
and the funding sources to help start and sustain some of these projects,
those librarians who help serve rural communities will also strengthen
their own position in the community and in the profession.

Pathways to Tomorrow's Service: The Future of Rural Libraries......190-215
  by Glen E. Holt
Abstract: This article is an examination of the forces and trends, the
imperatives and the options, affecting the future of rural libraries.  It
explores shifts in rural library constituencies, the varied factors -
including funding and staffing - affecting their ability to deliver
service, critical technological developments, and changing customer
expectations.  If rural libraries are to have a bright future, the staff
and trustee leaders of rural library districts will have to grapple with
these issues.

About the Contributors.............................................216-219

Transcribed By Emma McCulloch
25th October 1995


Submitted by: cijs27  (cijs27@ccsun.strath.ac.uk)
               Fri, 27 Oct 1995 10:42:17 +0100 (BST)